Traverse City weather in August

In August, Traverse City sees average daytime highs of 75°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 3.3 in of rain across 10.6 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 75°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in August, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 30 min at the start of August to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Traverse City's 2nd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Traverse City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
75°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
60°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
10.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:50 AM – 7:43 PM
Cloud cover
54%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
out of 10

Traverse City is city in and seat of Grand Traverse County, Michigan, United States.

Density
679/km²
people per km²
Founded
1891

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 75°F through the month.

A typical August day in Traverse City reaches about 75°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 68°F and 83°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 7°F warmer than September.

50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17662
27662
37662
47662
57662
67661
77661
87661
97661
107661
117661
127661
137661
147661
157660
167560
177560
187560
197560
207560
217560
227560
237560
247559
257559
267459
277459
287459
297458
307458
317458

How August really feels in Traverse City

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Traverse City weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 17°2.111.813.990.0
Feb28° / 16°1.68.58.810.10.0
Mar38° / 23°2.18.76.211.60.1
Apr50° / 34°3.2113.513.22.3
May62° / 45°3.210.90.214.65.1
Jun71° / 55°3.110015.36.6
Jul76° / 61°3.3110156.9
Aug75° / 60°3.310.6013.97.0
Sep69° / 53°3.211.6012.36.1
Oct56° / 43°3.7140.410.73.4
Nov43° / 34°2.813.36.69.40.6
Dec34° / 26°2.413.313.38.70.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35743
45743
55743
65743
75743
85743
95644
105545
115545
125545
135545
145446
155446
165446
175446
185347
195347
205347
215347
225446
235446
245446
255545
265545
275644
285743
295743
305743
315743

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Traverse City gets around 3.3 in of rain over 10.6 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
438
537
637
736
835
935
1034
1134
1233
1333
1433
1533
1633
1733
1833
1933
2033
2133
2233
2333
2433
2533
2633
2732
2832
2932
3032
3132

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the humid band about 30% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 18% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1173032173
2173132173
3173132173
4173132173
5173132163
6173132163
7183132163
8183132163
9193032163
10193032163
11203031163
12203031163
13203032153
14213032152
15212932162
16222932162
17222932162
18222832162
19232831171
20232831171
21232831171
22242830171
23242830171
24252829171
25262928161
26262928161
27272927161
28282926161
29302925151
30312924151
31333023141

Wind in August

Winds average 7 mph in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 min at the start of August to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 84 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:32 AM to 6:08 AM, and sunset from 8:05 PM to 7:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.55:328:05
214.55:338:04
314.55:358:02
414.45:368:01
514.45:378:00
614.35:387:58
714.35:397:57
814.35:407:55
914.25:427:54
1014.25:437:53
1114.15:447:51
1214.15:457:50
1314.05:467:48
1414.05:487:46
1513.95:497:45
1613.95:507:43
1713.85:517:42
1813.85:527:40
1913.75:547:38
2013.75:557:37
2113.65:567:35
2213.65:577:33
2313.65:587:31
2413.56:007:30
2513.56:017:28
2613.46:027:26
2713.46:037:24
2813.36:047:22
2913.26:067:21
3013.26:077:19
3113.16:087:17

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.49 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 5.4 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Traverse City?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

7.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Traverse City for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Traverse City in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Traverse City sees daytime highs around 75°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Traverse City in August

The nearest coast averages about 68°F in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 68°F and coldest in March near 35°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar35Bracing
Apr37Bracing
May40Bracing
Jun50Bracing
Jul64Cool
Aug68Refreshing
Sep65Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov48Bracing
Dec42Bracing

UV index in Traverse City in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Traverse City peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Traverse City?

Traverse City sits at 44.8°N, 85.6°W, 597 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mackinac Island, 89 mi away.

Topography around Traverse City

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Traverse City.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Traverse City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 404 ft around an average of 627 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 679 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,224 ft.

The land around Traverse City is covered by water (33%), trees (32%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (48%), water (25%) and grassland (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (37%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
404 ft
10 miles
679 ft
50 miles
1,224 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Mackinac Island 89 mi · Mount Pleasant 91 mi · Midland 104 mi · Muskegon 110 mi · Manitowoc 111 mi · Norton Shores 115 mi · Bellevue 115 mi · Bay City 118 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Traverse City (44.7631°, -85.6206°, elevation 597 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).